Chapter Forty-Seven: Rebel Fires
Reports of Skylander activity were sighted near a grassy valley. In recent weeks, keeping up with Skylander activity was becoming increasingly difficult for the Arkeyans. There were two separate groups of these heroes- one that declared themselves as such, and one that didn't but still performed the same activities. As frantic as they were, however, the Arkeyans had doubled the search teams for them.
Hot Head walked along the valley floor with Swarm and Crusher, his head switching back and forth in a constant search for danger. His legs felt weak, just barely carrying him through. His stomach churned in worry, and the oil in his body seemed to harden. They all knew what the Arkeyans were up to at this point. Danger could be around any corner.
The ground shook a bit as Crusher slammed his huge hammer on the ground. He lifted it up, laughing at the shattered rock beneath the hammer.
"Stop that! It's too shaky!" Hot Head shouted.
"It was the perfect specimen," Crusher replied. "I couldn't just leave it be."
"Alright, fine. Just be careful."
They continued walking. Suddenly a noise came through the air, like some kind of buzzing. Hot Head whipped his head behind him, finding that Swarm was hovering above the ground.
"Stop that! It's too loud!" Hot Head yelled.
"But I haven't flown in so long," Swarm moaned.
"Can you quiet it down or something?"
"I don't think so."
"Then ground yourself for now. I'm sorry."
Swarm sighed, planting himself down.
Crusher crossed his arms, refusing to release the hammer. "Hey, I get a 'be careful' and he gets a 'stop'?"
"It's just how it works," Hot Head insisted. "Nothing more than that."
They continued on for a little bit, stopping as they noticed the sun setting. Crusher suggested that they camp for the night, seeing that they were only a day from the valley. Hot Head didn't like that idea. The Arkeyans would always be searching for them.
"Maybe we should push on through the night," Hot Head suggested, shrugging his shoulders in a sheepish manner. "Those other Skylanders might be gone before we get there."
"You know it's not helpful to forego sleep in the long run," Swarm argued. "The others are probably camping as well. You never know."
"Which is why we should keep going."
Crusher quickly sat on the ground. "You're welcome to keep going if you want. I, for one, want to camp here tonight."
Hot Head looked at Swarm, his brow furrowed in thought, silently asking what he was going to do. Without another word, Swarm walked over to Crusher, sitting cross-legged next to him. Two out of three, eh? Hot Head grumbled incoherently, walking over and taking a place next to them.
"Do we have any food?" Crusher asked.
"You were the one carrying everything. You should know," Swarm reminded him.
Crusher nodded in realization, taking out the bag behind his back and sifting through it. He dug out three cans and two odd blue crystals, brimming in the discovery. "I can't imagine those slaves feeling all too healthy with a constant diet of canned beans and veggies. Would you care to do the honors, Hot Head?"
Hot Head took the cans, setting them over his head. He waited a few moments until the cans felt warm, setting them back on the ground. Swarm grabbed one of them, opening it up and wolfing down the contents. "It gets a bit easier after time, I imagine," Swarm muttered with a mouth full of food.
Hot Head watched Crusher get into another can, slowly grabbing at the third one. He stared at it, his stomach feeling even more ill than earlier. He nearly shivered at the very memory of these food cans, and he could hardly fathom the idea of opening another one. But there wasn't much to do about it, lest he go hungry tonight. Hot Head opened the can and slowly nibbled at its contents, forcing bile down his throat with every bite.
"Don't like it?" Crusher asked him.
"Can't say it's really my thing," Hot Head muttered.
"You don't have to eat it if you don't like it. Good thing I had another of those Golem Rocks for you."
Hot Head set the can down, picking up one of the crystals. The memory of these things suddenly clicked with him, though the ones he was familiar with had been red like the lava of his home. Boy was he feeling nostalgic right now. What a dangerous feeling.
"It is a good thing," Hot Head agreed. He lifted the crystal over his mouth, broiling it and letting the melted ooze drip into his mouth. Crusher was more than happy to simply crunch on it.
"How much do we have in that bag, food-wise?" Swarm asked.
"Maybe one more day's worth," Crusher shrugged. "Maybe less than two meals. I think we'll have to stock up in the valley. I can cover the cost of that, though. There's enough water as well, but it wouldn't hurt to collect some more."
"What about medicine?" Hot Head wondered. "Do we have enough of that?"
"There's enough gauze and bandages for wounds, plus enough of that ice salve for your wounds. We're a bit low on herbs for illnesses, but there's enough for a week-long thing- I'll have to restock on those as well. What else do you need to check up on?"
Food, medicine, those two things were priorities in Hot Head's mind. He couldn't think of anything else. "I think we're good for the moment," he decided. "I'll take first watch if that's okay with everyone."
"I think I'll take the second one tonight," Crusher replied. "Which means Swarm and I should catch up on sleep now."
"Sounds good."
Crusher and Swarm settled onto their sides. Crusher seemed to fall asleep almost immediately- a remarkable talent of his. Swarm didn't come to it like that, his wings humming every now and again. He'd turned his back to Hot Head, almost bashfully so.
"You haven't said good night yet," Hot Head muttered, arms crossed.
Swarm turned his head slightly. "Good night," he said.
"Did I do something wrong?"
"No, not at all. It's just...are you wanting to quit?"
He was talking about their quest to defeat the Arkeyans. "No, I don't want that," Hot Head promised him.
"You're getting that weird clingy, not clingy behavior again. You're yelling much more frequently, and trying to stay just as close. It was like when we first met."
"Well, I'll admit I'm a bit more nervous than before. I have reason too."
"What do you want, then?"
Hot Head found himself quiet for a moment, trying to think of that. What did he want? What was the best thing for them at the moment, that would keep them safe?
"I guess...maybe a moment to pause," Hot Head shrugged. "I don't want to stop completely. I don't want to give up after all this time out here. But we're attacking factories and trade depots almost every day, and the Arkeyans are getting wary of it. Maybe if we slow down for a moment, they'll slow down in their hunt for us."
"I don't know if that's possible. If we slowed down, they Arkeyans can focus on rebuilding what we've destroyed. Our activity has probably halted them a bit."
"I'm aware of that possibility." -Hot Head pressed his hands to his temples- "Just one day, then. No worrying about destroying factories or freeing slaves. No hurry on meeting up with Skylanders. Just one day to allow myself to mellow out."
"That we might be able to do. I mean, we have to restock on supplies anyway. Wouldn't be too bad for us to have a break. Let's see about it in the morning, then."
"Alright. Are we all good, then?"
Swarm smiled. "Yeah, we're good. Good night, Hot Head."
"Good night, kid."
Swarm shifted a bit, turning so he was facing Hot Head. The fire golem looked to the stars, finding a smile creeping on his face. One day to avoid concerning themselves over rebellions and Arkeyans. That would be nice indeed.
The valley was home to a very large Mabu settlement. Nearly every inch of land had a house or building on it, and any that didn't were used for farmland. The Giants found themselves baffled and amazed by it. The Mabu, a species absolutely devastated by Arkeyan slavers, had found a place to thrive.
"This place is incredible!" Swarm gasped. "Almost like something from the picture books my mom used to show me!"
"I can't imagine it would be hard to restock here," Crusher chuckled, arms crossed. "I'm going to look for the shops."
Swarm bounded over to his side. "Let me scout it out for you! It's been forever since I've been able to really fly!"
"We'll be shopping buddies, then. Fine by me. Oh, that just leaves Hot Head out of this. Do you want to come with us, buddy?"
Hot Head's heart pounded. He was absolutely elated, taken away by the magnificence of the village. "I don't have to, do I?" he asked.
"I don't think so," Crusher decided. "There's no danger here, and we don't have any pressing matters to attend to. What were you thinking?"
"I guess I wanted to stroll around. It's been a long time since I've seen a thriving village."
"Alrighty, then. We'll meet back here when we're done, okay?"
"Sounds good."
Swarm took to the air, Crusher following after him. Hot Head turned the other way, coming down a cobbled street. He felt a little odd, like he was walking on a cloud. This shouldn't be possible. There could be no way he was actually in a thriving village.
But then he saw the people moving about. Mabu went about their daily business, walking down the street beside him, pausing to chat to strangers. A few children skirted around his legs as they played. Wheel barrows came passed some of the buildings, farmers gently leading the turtles around. It dawned on him that he really was standing around in a thriving village.
Hot Head smiled, taking bigger strides while minding where he stepped. A gentle breeze blew passed him. It did feel like he was walking on a cloud- and he couldn't be happier about it.
He walked around the village for a time, pausing as he realized he was getting to the easternmost mountain. Hot Head looked around a bit, unsure of where Swarm and Crusher told him to meet up. He hadn't been paying much attention back there, huh? It had been a while since he'd done something like that.
He caught sight of someone sitting by the mountain, clanking two rocks together. This figure resembled a rock golem, but this one was shorter than Crusher, and its features were a bit more square as well. Hot Head recognized him from somewhere, though he couldn't quite recall it.
Well, that wasn't true. He had no difficulty recalling where this golem came from.
He just didn't want to remember it.
"Hey you," Hot Head called over.
The golem sat up, still holding onto his rocks. He gave a wide grin, bounding over to Hot Head. "Steamy! It's nice to see you!" he cheered.
Hot Head felt the golem wrap his arms around him, squeezing him tightly. A bit too tightly, but it was a familiar feeling he'd been given a long time ago. "It's been too long, Gigantus," Hot Head groaned in the hold. "You're not still hanging out with those rebels, are you?"
The golem, Gigantus, released him, handing him the rocks. "Oh I am. We're travelling all over Skylands nowadays, hitting as many slave camps as we can. I've never felt more useful in my life."
"I'm glad that you're happy."
"You must've been worried about me, right?"
"I've been trying not to think of you guys in danger out there. I used to get nightmares about it all the time."
"What have you been up to? Still trying to find a place to settle down?"
Hot Head rubbed the back of his neck, gritting his teeth sheepishly. "You could say that," he muttered. "Those Arkeyans are crawling all over the place, though. Sometimes I'd find a nice little place, only to find foot soldiers scouring the area. Nearly impossible to get rid of them. I'm surprised you guys even have a chance with them."
"We work on our tactics every day. We're always planning things out now, instead of just going on the fly. Well, I don't exactly pitch in. I try, but it's hard for me to think of these things."
"Is Jini still running things? Taking charge and rallying the troops?"
"Yup. Man, you should see the fire in her eyes when that passion sparks up."
"I remember that passion. I don't need to see it again for that proof."
Hot Head set the rocks down, slumping a tiny bit. So she was still running things with those rebels. It kind of sounded like she was doing a better job of it, but Gigantus wasn't exactly the best holder of information.
"Hey, you should keep those," Gigantus told him. "They're tough like granite. I think they might be. Remember, you're a golem. Those rocks are a part of you just as they are a part of me."
"Your rebel group is hiding out here, right?" Hot Head asked. "That must be why you're here."
"Our camp isn't too far into the mountains. You could come stop by, if you like."
"I...I really don't think I have any business being there."
"Your business is to say hello."
Gigantus was grinning like a big doofus now. Well, he probably was a big doofus, but a doofus had no use in this world- and that wasn't Gigantus at all. Hot Head wanted nothing to do with the rebels, but he didn't want to disappoint his old friend.
"I don't know about myself, but I found a few other Giants here," Hot Head suggested. "They've got that rebel fire going. I think Jini might want to speak with them, so I'll try to send them over."
"Newbies? I think she'd be very excited about that! Bring them over tonight, okay?"
"I'll see what I can do."
Gigantus waved him goodbye, hobbling off to find some new rocks. Hot Head stood by for a moment, then turned the other way to try and find the rendezvous point. His stomach was queasy now, and he wanted nothing more than to escape from this valley. Maybe they'll find the Skylanders here, and they can hurry on out.
Hot Head didn't enjoy crying. For some reason, his tears came out wet, steam rising from the spots on his body where they fell. It reminded him of the frost that had overtaken his home, that the Arkeyans had used to kill everyone there. He thought that his tears might put out his eternal flame, and that it might kill him.
But even that didn't stop him from blubbering after that first battle. Nearly half of the slaves at the camp had been taken out, slain at the hands of those skeletal warriors. It had been a part of Ninjini's strategy to try and psych out the opposition. It had certainly worked, with the warriors fleeing as soon as the three Giants started doing their stuff.
But at what cost?
The fallen were laid to rest in a grassy field, and they held ceremonies for each of them, the last one taking place at sunset. The Mabu rebels departed after each and every one, until only the Giants were left. Gigantus eventually parted from them as well, having become more interested in speaking with the others. Hot Head looked over at Ninjini, who seemed as stoic as ever. She had grieved, of course, but only for the allotted time she'd insisted was appropriate. The only reason she was still here was for Hot Head's sake.
"What's going on in your head right now?" Hot Head mumbled, tears dripping down his face.
"I get what you're feeling. I do," Ninjini insisted. "But this mourning phase of yours has gone on a bit long, hasn't it? Each ceremony has been completed. We don't have any more to do for the moment. I think it would be best if you composed yourself."
"I'll remain like this as long as I darn well please! You have no control over the way I feel!"
"If we're going to keep doing this, we need to stay composed."
Hot Head crossed his arms, glaring at her. She was a robot, wasn't she? Cold, emotionless, stone face. He was finding it hard to tell the difference between the two at the moment. The oil in his body boiled at her, furious at how she was treating this event.
"And what reason do I have to continue doing this?" Hot Head yelled. "This was a disaster!"
"This was a victory. Don't forget that," Ninjini argued.
"Well, if we keep winning like this, only us Giants will be left."
"This is war, Hot Head. You can't expect everyone to stay alive."
"You knew they didn't have time to train properly! You knew the power that the Arkeyans were going to send after us! You and I should've been on the front lines, covering their backs! You can't use the Mabu as pawns like this!"
"It was an ancient battle tactic of my people. Many battles were won with this stra-"
"Your people are gone, Jini! Mine too! They were killed by old tactics that the Arkeyans evolved past! This is not our world anymore, nor is it the Mabu's world! The Arkeyans have the greater powers, the greater resources, and the greater numbers! You're all going to die before the next spring! And I don't want any part in this senseless slaughter!"
Ninjini turned to face him, scowling. "You're not leaving us, I hope? Where do you think you can go? Unless we fight, there is no safe haven for anyone."
"I'll find a way!" Hot Head howled. "I'll find a safe spot that's all my own, far away from this chaos! I don't want a part in any of it!"
He turned away from her and started running. He leapt in jagged bounds, rushing toward the edge of the island. Hot Head turned to make sure Ninjini wasn't chasing him down- she wasn't, thankfully. He was glad to be leaving. He didn't want to fight in a war that they'd already lost.
Hot Head led Swarm and Crusher to the rebel camp that night, allowing them to converse with anyone they pleased. The fire golem stayed back, watching the activity going on there. The Mabu rebels seemed a bit more experienced this time around, training and sorting out supplies. They looked jovial enough, chatting leisurely among themselves as they did this. And Swarm and Crusher seemed to get along fine with everyone there. Still, he didn't feel right going in there. It reminded him too much of that failed battle.
Swarm returned to his side after a while, standing tip-toed and looking at him in curiosity. "A few of them told us that Ninjini wanted to see you," he noted.
Hot Head leaned against a cliff face. "I'm sure she does," he muttered.
"You guys didn't leave on the best of terms, huh?"
"We were in the same slave camp for a while. We lifted the heaviest blocks, usually restrained by those darn cursed chains. She was always talking about rebellion, and I was pretty stoked about it for a while. Things didn't exactly work out well, though. I decided to split before anything worse could happen, and after a while, I met you."
"You wanted to fight back before?"
"Most everyone has a bit of that rebel fire, kid. No one you meet is happy with the Arkeyans, and they want them gone. I think it died out in me, for a while. It just felt like all we were going to do is fight and die."
"They seem to know what they're doing now. And they look like they've been at it for a while."
"You look that way too. You look a thousand years older than you should be. At least from that glow to your eyes."
Swarm slapped him, but Hot Head quickly dodged the move. He grinned at him, laughing.
"What if Crusher and I wanted to follow the rebels for a while?" Swarm asked. "Just to see how they worked? Are you still going to join us?"
"Do you want to follow them?" Hot Head wondered. "What about the Skylanders?"
"They're supposed to be here. They might be attracted by the rebels, too. You don't know. But I'm curious about Ninjini and her group. I kind of want to hang out with them, for a while. What do you want to do?"
He didn't know. Hot Head had no clue what he wanted this time. The thought of running was strong in his gut, and if he followed it, he might run to the far corners of Skylands. The rebel fire argued with it, yearning to accompany Swarm and Crusher to wherever they wanted to go. Yet...he couldn't do that near Ninjini. Who was to say that she wouldn't use them as pawns as well? No one was going to do that to his friends, not again. He didn't want them anywhere near her.
Of course, he didn't want to force them to do anything they didn't want to do. Hot Head decided that his main goal was to keep them safe, at least.
"I'll stick around with you," Hot Head promised him. "You've had difficulty getting out of pinches without me."
"Knock it off, okay?" Swarm giggled.
Hot Head stood up, sighing. "I should speak to Jini now, shouldn't I?"
"Perhaps."
"Best not to delay it any longer, huh? Go and find Crusher, alright?"
Hot Head walked away from him, heading into the camp. He stepped around tents that were much smaller than he was, nearly smiling as the rebels chatted among themselves. He caught sight of Crusher, who was currently engaged in a rock-smashing contest with Gigantus, much to the enthusiasm of the rebels spectating it. Hot Head continued onward, finding a tent much bigger than the others- Ninjini's tent. He walked in, finding the elven genie standing over a table with a large map on it. A purple-ish bottle was sitting at the edge of the table. He recognized it as an important possession of hers, though he remembered her describing them as shackles in the past.
"Hey there," Hot Head greeted her.
Ninjini looked up, eyes widened in shock. "Hello, Hot Head," she replied. "You're looking well."
"You too."
"I thought you didn't want any part of the war."
Hot Head set his hands behind his head. "Oh, you know. Dumb kid has a hero complex. I decided to keep him safe, nothing more."
"You have that rock golem as well. He could do that job for you."
"He's a bit incompetent. They both are, really. They would be dead by now without me."
She smiled a tiny bit. "Your passion was always protecting people, wasn't it?"
Hot Head relaxed his stance. "Hm."
"Why don't you come over here and see what I'm working on?"
Hot Head walked next to her, looking at the map. Ninjini pointed some things out, and continued, "Our scouts have spotted a temple construction site out in this desert, this one with higher security than most. I was thinking that Gigantus could lead some of the rebels into the slave barracks to release the Mabu imprisoned there. Then the rest of the participating Giants fight off the forces on the surface, taking down the robot running the place."
Hot Head nearly gasped. He found himself pleasantly surprised by this plan of hers. It sounded sensible this time around. She had begun to consider the safety of the rebels. Of course, he was still a bit suspicious.
"I feel like there's something you're not telling me about all of this," he thought.
She looked at him, but didn't reply.
"Go on and spit it out, then."
"Our target is an Arkeyan Conquertron."
He nearly spluttered out his indignation, stepping back. Hot Head had only ever heard tales of those fiends. How they were much larger than the average war machine. How they never failed to reach out at someone that attacked them. How relentless they were in taking down anyone that dare step onto the premises. There was no getting past them.
"I understand that the risk of this mission is high," Ninjini added. "I know the odds of success aren't likely. But I foresee a great reward from this success. If we can pull this off, it'll shake the Empire to its very core. It'll show them that we are not a simple band of ruffians, but citizens who will have their voice heard. Who will not back down from this tyranny."
"Oh no, there you go with the great and powerful speech thing again," Hot Head frowned. "You got this way last time. 'No one's going to say we're insignificant. We're not going to let them control us any longer.' I remember every word of that speech. And then you go and lead them into a battle far bigger than what they're capable of, getting half of them killed."
Ninjini slapped a palm on the table. "I kept your words in mind. I've been much more careful, having Gigantus and me lead the charge in battle. But we still get casualties. We get less than before, but we still get them, because that is what happens during war."
"You're not taking Swarm and Crusher away."
"I have found myself ill-contented, lately. We're well-suited to destroying factories led by smaller war machines, but when does that end? When is it enough? When will they stop rebuilding? When will this game of cat-and-mouse cease? Even with the Skylanders sticking their feet into this puddle, nothing is really changing in this war. No matter how I look at it, this is the only way we can move forward."
"You're not going to take them away from me."
"And would you stop them from sacrificing themselves, if the need arose? If my death were the deciding factor of the rebel victory, I would gladly die for the sake of Skylands' freedom. From the way Swarm and Crusher act, I'd expect them to think the same. You might be back in the fight, but you're still not looking at the big picture. You still expect to coast along, not really rooting in place and not really fighting the Arkeyans. You still expect to get out of this alive."
"Maybe I do, so what? That thought is what got me back into the fight to begin with. I didn't want to do this if I didn't think there was a future for us after all of this. If there was a future for anyone. I felt better to think that I might be okay. But I almost always get frozen in fear when I worry that Swarm and Crusher might not be okay. Yes, fight, but don't expect to stop the island from breaking by throwing your bodies on the cracks."
They stood still for a while, neither one daring to move. The commotion outside the tent seemed to have died down a bit.
"Are you joining us on this mission, then?" Ninjini asked. "Since you're so passionate about protecting your new friends."
"I'm joining, of course," Hot Head decided. "If only to protect them from you."
Ninjini nodded, and she didn't say another word about it.
The rebels made their way to the temple site the next day, sneaking around the back. Gigantus's group traveled downward, hoping to head into the slave barracks. The rest of the Giants were divided into groups of two- Hot Head and Swarm were taking the southern side, taking out the robotic workers, while Ninjini and Crusher were taking the north side, on the offensive of the Conquertron. Hot Head found himself glad for this, mainly because he knew he wouldn't work well with the elven genie. Perhaps Crusher would reign her in a bit, just to make sure she didn't do anything rash.
He and Swarm hugged a wall, peeking at the activity of the robots. They appeared to be marching about, patrolling the area. Jousters and juggernauts changed positions constantly, changing up their defense plan every minute or so.
"These guys seem a bit antsy," Swarm muttered. "The robots we saw in other temples were much more serious."
"Robots near the slave barracks are probably going to be a bit more serious," Hot Head shrugged. "These guys have no business being there, what with a big bad Conquertron looking after everything. They're itching for a fight, and we're going to give them one. What are you thinking we should do?"
Swarm touched a finger to his chin. "It probably won't be too difficult to take them out. It might only take my swarming ability to do that. But they might head off toward the barracks, and that would give the others a problem. Why don't you set up an oil barricade? If they come by, light them up."
Hot Head grinned. "I do love a good barricade. Head on out there and I'll start."
Swarm hovered off the ground, climbing up the wall and sneaking by. Hot Head held his arm out, shooting oil from his hand. The robots got riled up, with Swarm shooting barbs at them. A few split off from the fray, running after Hot Head to get to the barracks. Just as planned. Hot Head shot fire at the oil line, broiling anyone that had the misfortune of getting stuck there. Swarm split off into millions of tiny little wasps, attacking the remaining robots and pulling them apart. Hot Head leapt through the fire, meeting up with Swarm as he reformed.
"Good job, kid," Hot Head cheered. "They didn't stand a chance against you."
Swarm nodded meekly, a bit worried for some reason. "Yeah, I guess," he muttered. "But didn't this seem a bit...too easy?"
"Like I said, we've got the Conquertron here."
The ground rumbled a tiny bit, a few goats scattering away from the source. It felt a bit close, maybe near where the Conquertron was said to be. Fear hit Hot Head in the gut like a mallet, and he thought about Crusher and Ninjini.
"Hey, you know what? Let's meet up with the others," Hot Head decided. "I feel like they could use a bit more help."
"I guess so," Swarm agreed, hovering once more. "What's a Conquertron like anyway?"
"Why don't I show you?"
They rushed onward, following a winding path around the temple to the northern side. They found themselves heading toward the center, pausing just before it. Crusher and Ninjini were engaged in battle, dodging laser attacks from the Conquertron. The mighty robot towered several stories above them, resembling the physique of the tyrannical King it served. It slammed a mighty fist on the ground, crushing the orbs that Ninjini had summoned. Crusher pulled her out of the way of another laser attack, but it still managed to nick her on the arm.
Swarm staggered back, mouth agape. "Oh."
"Crusher! Ninjini! Switch!" Hot Head shouted.
Crusher guarded Ninjini as they fell back, allowing Hot Head and Swarm to take the mantle. Swarm split apart again, flying around the Conquertron's face. Hot Head fired two streams of oil at the giant robot's feet, trying and failing to get it to relent. The bug swarm suddenly flew away, setting back onto the ground as Swarm shifted back, slumping down. Hot Head rushed to his side, Crusher and Ninjini taking the mantle once more.
"Swarm, are you alright?" Hot Head asked.
Swarm looked up at him, eyes half-closed in exhaustion. "Yeah, just a bit tired," he muttered. "I haven't done it twice in an hour yet. Guess I should've been practicing."
"Get your energy back, then. Come back in when you're ready."
Hot Head got back up, running into the fray. "Crusher! Switch with me!" he shouted.
The rock golem nodded, falling back and letting Hot Head take his place. He shot flames at the Conquertron's raised hand, and this seemed to make it flinch a little. Ninjini summoned more orbs, firing them at its torso to little effect.
"That oil stuff is still there," Ninjini told him. "You should light that up."
Hot Head nodded, shooting a flame at the Conquertron's feet. The giant robot flinched at this, but it managed to wave the flames away with its giant hand. They had been put out almost immediately. No one had been able to do that before!
A barb shot at the Conquertron's head. Hot Head turned around, noticing Swarm back on his feet and back to full power. The wasp was backing up a bit as he fired, trying to distance himself from an attack that the robot might take on. Hot Head found his head moving to the left, discovering a long chain connecting to the base that the Conquertron was standing on. A great viewpoint for a mighty robot- but one that could be take advantage of.
"Crusher! The chain!" Hot Head yelled.
Crusher nodded, running after it. The Conquertron was on it, slamming its gargantuan hand in front of the main link. The force was grand enough to push Crusher back, sending him to the ground. The rock golem was motionless, but thankfully not limp, as his arms were pushing against the ground. But this was definitely not good for them. They needed help, and they needed it fast.
The Conquertron prepared to smash its other fist down, but something latched onto it, holding it back. It looked like an anchor, maybe, attacked to another chain. The Giants looked up to a roof, discovering that they were not alone. A whale behemoth had come in, holding the Conquertron back. Whale behemoth? Was he Swarm's friend?
"I've got it! Do what you will!" the whale behemoth shouted.
Swarm and Ninjini were on the offensive, shooting orbs and barbs at the Conquertron. Hot Head split away from them, making his way to the chain. He paused at the main link, grabbing the chain. His arms suddenly started burning, ice crawling up, and he quickly dropped it. The ice disappeared almost immediately after. That chain was cursed, like many other tools at the slave camps. He couldn't touch the main link without it harming him.
Someone grabbed the chain a bit farther away. Hot Head turned to look at the figure, discovering it to be Crusher. His hands were starting to glow orange, the curse attempting to melt him away. It seemed to have paused for the moment, unable to penetrate the rock golem's stone skin.
"Pull it out! I'm holding onto the brunt of the force! Do it!" Crusher shouted.
Hot Head nodded, running toward the main link. He gripped on it with all his might, the ice just barely touching his fingers. With a strong grunt, he lifted it up. He and Crusher dropped the chain, letting it fall off the temple. The Conquertron's base started to fracture, disorienting it a bit.
"There's at least two others my pals have scouted," Thumpback added. "Get rid of those, and this guy's toast."
Crusher touched his hands, wincing a bit at residual pain. "I need to find them, then," he decided. "I'm the only one who can resist the curse for a long period of time."
"Look at your hands, man. They can't whether two more curses like that," Hot Head argued. "Not without severe damage, at least."
"That curse was stronger than what chains normally have. If you were to take on that burden, that ice might reach your eternal flame and kill you."
"And I think you might have a hard time lifting that hammer of yours when your hands are hurting so much."
Ninjini fell back. "I think I can make a shield for them," she decided. "Hot Head, take my place while I go."
Hot Head ran back into the fray, shooting fire at the Conquertron. "Don't do anything rash, alright?"
Ninjini nodded, and she hurried off.
The rest of them continued to distract the Conquertron for a few more minutes, dodging every blow it tried to make on them. In another moment, though, two more chains fell away from the robot's platform. The ground crumbled beneath the Conquertron, and it fell down, sinking to the very depths of Skylands. Ninjini returned to them, followed by three other Giants. Hot Head recognized them without any other indicators- they were the Skylanders that Swarm had wanted to find.
Everyone gathered back to camp that night, recounting the fierce battle that they'd won. None of the Mabu with Gigantus had seemed harmed- heck, they even managed to bring back a few new rebels with them. The Skylanders had come back with them as well, chatting to Hot Head and Swarm in great detail, expressing amusement at the group that the young wasp had gathered. Swarm talked a lot with Thumpback, the Giant whom most of his stories had been about. Hot Head knew how eager he'd been to meet up with him again, so he left him be and hung out with Crusher near the mountains.
"Our quest is complete now, huh?" Crusher smiled, leaning against the cliff face. "We've met up with the Skylanders like Swarm wanted. Where does our path lead next?"
"I don't really think our quest is complete just yet," Hot Head replied. "This was just like phase one every time I went through it. Initially, phase two would probably be to continue what the three of us were doing without them, just with bigger numbers. Now, I'm not so sure, especially with what we did today."
"I can hardly fathom it. We took down a Conquertron. I can't think of anything else that could've done that."
They sat in silence for a moment, each beaming about the accomplishment. Hot Head's jovial mood faded, and he muttered, "You were ready to break your hands back there, weren't you?"
Crusher looked at him, a bit confused. "Nothing we were doing was working," he explained.
"You wouldn't have liked that. What if that curse crippled you?"
"Nothing was working. I just felt so useless fighting that thing with Ninjini. My hammer couldn't reach that far, and my stone gaze wasn't working on him. My only real talent is my durability, so as long as I had that, I figured I'd be okay. I'm just a living shield, anyway."
"You're not just a living shield. You are a person with wants and desires like any other fighter here. I know you wouldn't have liked being unable to lift that hammer, and I was trying to keep you safe."
Crusher furrowed his brow, looking at his hammer as if he'd forgotten about his passion. "Yeah, that would really suck."
"It would indeed suck."
"But you were going to sacrifice yourself if you went to hold the other chains, weren't you?"
Hot Head crossed his arms. "That's a bit different. I wanted to make sure you guys were safe. As long as I knew I'd accomplished that, I think it would've been okay."
"Now I thought you wanted a nice cozy little home, with all the food you could eat and the places you could nap. You would've given that up back there?"
"It seemed a bit petty, for a while."
Crusher stood up, stretching. "Well I have a new desire for you. A nice cozy island for the three of us. You can eat and nap, Swarm can fly about, and I can go smashing rocks. Sounds great, right?"
"Sounds like we'd do a lot of nothing. And I like the idea of that."
Ninjini floated over, hands clasped. "Crusher, you don't mind leaving so Hot Head and I can chat, do you?" she asked.
"I was going to look for Swarm, anyway," Crusher replied, walking away. "Be nice to each other, okay?"
Ninjini turned her head, waiting until he was out of hearing distance. She moved up closer to him, her head bowed slightly low. "I know this mission put a large strain on you. You wanted nothing to do with this kind of rebel work, I remember."
"In a way, you were right," Hot Head muttered. "Destroying simple factories was getting us nowhere. Though I am a bit worried that the Arkeyans are going to chase us down after this."
"This is something that comes with our quest."
"I know. And I can't run away from that anymore."
Ninjini took a spot next to him. "I was thinking of joining you and the Skylanders as well, put some ideas into the group on fighting strategies. We ought to focus on freeing slaves, gathering our forces, and maybe taking out another Conquertron or two."
"With the end goal being to defeat the Arkeyan King, right?"
"That's the plan I have in mind."
"I think they're bound to go along with it."
"You're scared about something, I can tell. I'll leave you be, and give you all the time you need to recover from this."
The fire golem shook his head, his eyes feeling a bit damp. "No. I want you to stay," he muttered.
Ninjini looked at him, eyes widened in surprise. "What's going through your head?"
He hugged his body, trying and failing to stop the tears. "I used to have nightmares about you all the time. You and my clan, just being decimated by Arkeyan forces. I dreaded falling asleep and thinking about it. I wanted you to be safe, but I didn't want to go back. I wanted to hide away from this conflict, to pretend that it wasn't really all around me. I was a coward, and I just abandoned you in the fight."
Ninjini wiped a few strands of red hair out of her eyes. "Cowards are the ones who refuse to fight," she argued. "You've never stopped fighting, have you?"
"What difference does it make? I still ran away.."
"I wasn't a leader back then. I understood battle tactics, but I didn't know how to execute them. That was my fault, not yours. I'm sure your departure brought some good, though, for the both of us. It allowed me to reinvent our rebel force, and you got the chance to remember why you wanted to fight. You remember, right?"
Hot Head wiped his tears away. "I do. I want to live in a world where each clan can live peacefully. Where no one has to be afraid of Arkeyans taking our friends and resources. Where Giants such as ourselves can mingle with smaller folk, and become friends with them. I want to live in a world where no one else has to experience what I experienced, and where the thought of Arkeyans is a distant memory."
"Are you ready to go after it, then?"
"I could never be ready at this point. But I know that I'm not going to run away anymore."
Ninjini held her hand out. "Do you forgive me, then?"
Hot Head held his hand out, and she grabbed it in an odd handshake. "I don't know if I can do that. It still hurts to think about," he admitted. "But I want to start over. Maybe we can try that."
"I don't know if starting over is possible. But we can always try."
A buzzing sound came forth, and Swarm caught up to Hot Head. "You said you were sticking with us, right? You should really talk to the others," he piped up. "Bouncer wanted to talk about battle tactics with you."
"Jini's the one he wants, but I'm willng to chat," he decided, following the eager wasp.